Auburn leads Oklahoma State by two shots after opening round of NCAA Louisville Regional

   A year ago Oklahoma State had to get past Auburn in the NCAA semifinals on the Cowboys’ home course at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. on their way to a national championship.

   The two teams ran into each other again when the NCAA Louisville Regional, one of six regional tournaments going on around the country, teed off Monday at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Ky.

   Auburn, No. 11 in the latest Golfstat rankings and seeded second in the Louisville Regional, grabbed a two-shot lead over top-seeded Oklahoma State, the No. 1 team in the country, as the Tigers opened with an 8-under 276 over the 7,217-yard, par-71 University of Louisville layout. The Cowboys, coming off a victory in the Big 12 Championship, carded a solid 6-under 278.

   The top five teams and the top individual from a non-advancing team will advance to this year’s NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

   Host Louisville, ranked 21^st and seeded fourth, shared third place with No. 25 Baylor, the fifth seed, at 4-under 280, two shots behind Oklahoma State. The Cardinals were led by individual leader Matthias Schmid, a sophomore from Germany who lit up his home course to the tune of a 5-under 66.

Surprising West Virginia, ranked 48^th and seeded eighth, was in fifth place at 2-over 286, six shots behind Louisville and Baylor.

   Auburn was led by Southeastern Conference individual champion Jovan Rebula, a junior from South Africa and the No. 26 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Rebula, the nephew of Ernie Els and winner of The Amateur Championship last summer at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Scotland, fired a 4-under 67 to join a group of four players tied for second, a shot behind Schmid.

   Graysen Huff, a junior from Eagle, Idaho who lost to his teammate Rebula in a playoff for the SEC individual crown, was a shot behind Rebula in a tie for sixth in the individual standings after posting a 3-under 68.

   Trace Crowe, a senior from Bluffton, S.C., contributed a 1-under 70 for the Tigers that left him in the group tied for 11^th place. Brandon Mancheno, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., matched par with a 71 to land among the group tied for 16^th place.

   Mancheno lost in a playoff for the NCAA individual title a year ago at Karsten Creek and was dominant in match play in last month’s SEC Championship, although the Tigers were upset in the title match by Arkansas.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Jacob Solomon, a senior from Dublin, Calif. who posted a 2-over 73 to end up in the group tied for 35^th.

   Joining Auburn’s Rebula in the quartet tied for second at 67 were Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo, a sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., Connecticut’s Jimmy Hervol, a senior from Hopkington, Mass. and Baylor’s Cooper Dossey, a junior from Austin, Texas.

   Joining Auburn’s Huff in a tie for sixth at 3-under 68 was Oklahoma State’s Viktor Hovland, a junior from Norway and No. 1 in the WAGR. Oh yeah, and he’s the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. Oh, and he was the low amateur at the Masters last month. Other than that, he’s just the best player on the best college team in the country. And I’m sure there’s a few other things I’m leaving out, but you get the picture.

   In the Myrtle Beach Regional, Big Ten champion Illinois, behind Big Ten individual co-champion Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a freshman from Belgium, grabbed the lead after opening with a 9-under 279 total over TPC of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet, S.C.

   The Illini, ranked 23^rd and seeded fourth, got a solid 5-under 67 over the 6,950-yard, par-72 TPC of Myrtle Beach layout out of de Chessart.

   The TPC of Myrtle Beach layout seemed to favor the Big Ten teams as Ohio State, probably a little underrated at No. 46 and seeded eighth, landed in second place at 4-under 284, five shots behind conference rival Illinois.

   Atlantic Coast Conference power Wake Forest, ranked third and the top seed, was another two shots behind Ohio State in a tie for third with ACC rival Florida State, ranked 27^th and seeded fifth, at 2-under 286.

   No. 10 California, seeded second, and No. 34 UNLV, seeded sixth, were tied for fifth, each matching par with a 288 total.

   Backing up de Chassart for the Illini was Michael Feagles, a junior from Scottsdale, Ariz. who was part of a four-way tie for second at 4-under 68, a shot off de Chassart’s pace.

   Giovanni Tadiotto, a junior from Belgium, and Varun Chopra, a sophomore home boy from Champaign, Ill., landed in the group tied for 20^th as each matched par with a 72. Rounding out the Illinois lineup was Tommy Kuhl, a freshman from Morton, Ill. who ended up in the group tied for 35^th at 2-over 74.

   Ohio State’s Caleb Ramirez, a senior from Blythe, Calif., and Will Voetsch, a senior from New Vernon, N.J., each matched the 68 posted by Illinois’ Feagles to join him in the quartet tied for second.

   Rounding out the foursome at 4-under was Coastal Carolina junior Zack Taylor, who finished tied for fourth in the 2014 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Baldwin. Taylor is competing as an individual not far from the Coastal Carolina campus.

   Oregon’s Edwin Yi, a senior from Beaumont, Calif., and Cal’s K.K. Limbhasut, a redshirt senior from Loma Linda, Calif., were tied for sixth place, each posting a 3-under 69.

   Chase Miller, the 2017 PIAA Class AA champion at Tulpehocken, is a freshman in the Robert Morris lineup and carded an 80 that left him in the group tied for 68^th. Robert Morris, the Northeast Conference champion, is tied with Middle Tennessee State for 13^th in the team standings at 305.

   In the Athens Regional, host Georgia, ranked 16^th and seeded third, took a two-shot lead on SEC rival Vanderbilt, ranked fourth and the top seed, at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

   The Bulldogs, with Spencer Ralston, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., and Davis Thompson, a sophomore from Auburn, Ala., among a group of three players tied for second at 2-under 69 over the 7,253-yard, par-71 University of Georgia layout, matched par in the opening round with a 284.

   The third member of that trio tied for second at 69 was Vanderbilt’s Will Gordon, a senior from Davidson, N.C. and No. 16 in the WAGR, and he helped the Commodores post a 2-over 286 that left them in second place in the team standings.

   ACC power Duke, which reached the semifinals at Karsten Creek a year ago, was three shots behind Vanderbilt in third place at 5-over 289. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils are seeded second.

   Another SEC entry, Tennessee, ranked 33^rd and seeded sixth, was fourth at 6-over 290, a shot behind Duke. American Athletic Conference champion Memphis, behind individual leader Brad Bawden, a senior from England who carded a 3-under 68, rounded out the top five as the Tigers carded an 8-over 292 that left them two shots behind in-state rival Tennessee. No. 80 Memphis is seeded 11^th.

   Trent Phillips, a freshman from Inman, S.C. and No. 43 in the WAGR, carded a 1-over 72 and was in the group tied for 12^th for Georgia. Will Kahlstorf, a freshman from Watkinsville, Ga., posted a 3-over 74 to finish among the group tied for 32^nd.

   Rounding out the Georgia lineup was the older of the Bulldogs’ Phillips brothers from Inman, Trevor Phillips, a junior who landed among the group tied for 42^nd with a 4-over 75.

   Backing up Gordon for Vanderbilt was John Augenstein, a junior from Owensboro, Ky. who shared fifth place with SMU’s Noah Goodwin, a sophomore from Corinth, Texas, at 1-under 70. Goodwin, the 2017 American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Player of the Year, won the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.

   Kansas State junior Roland Massimino, the 2014 PIAA Class AA runnerup as a senior at New Hope-Solebury, carded a 5-over 76 to end up in the group tied for 50^th. Massimino is one of three Kansas State players competing as individuals.

   In the Austin Regional, host Texas, ranked sixth and the top seed, was joined at the top of the team standings by No. 18 Pepperdine, seeded third, at 6-under 278 at The University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas.

   The Longhorns were led by one of their Coody twins, Pierceson Coody, a freshman from Plano, Texas who grabbed the individual lead with a sparkling 5-under 66 over the 7,355-yard, par-71 University of Texas layout. The West Coast Conference champion Waves were led by Joshua McCarthy, a junior from Danville, Calif. who was part of a trio tied for second at 4-under 67, a shot behind Pierceson Coody.

   No. 30 TCU, seeded fifth, was two shots behind the top two in third place at 4-under 280. No. 31 Arkansas, the upset winner of the SEC Championship, was another two shots behind TCU in fourth place with a 2-under 282 total. The Razorbacks, seeded sixth, are determined to earn a trip home for the NCAA Championships on their home course at The Blessings.

   No. 19 Clemson, seeded fourth, was in fifth place, two shots behind Arkansas, after matching par with a 284.

   Backing up Pierceson Coody for Texas were Cole Hammer, a freshman from Houston and No. 6 in the WAGR, and Coody’s twin brother Parker Coody, a freshman from Plano, Texas, each of whom carded a 2-under 70 to land among the group tied for ninth.

   Steven Chervony, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., was the final counter for the Longhorns, posting a 1-over 72 that left him in the group tied for 22^nd. Rounding out the Texas lineup was Spencer Soosman, a junior from Westlake Village, Calif. who carded a 4-over 75 and was in the group tied for 42^nd.

   Backing up McCarthy for Pepperdine was Joe Highsmith, a freshman from Lakewood, Wash. who was alone in fifth place with a 3-under 68. Another Lakewood, Wash. guy, R.J. Manke, a sophomore who captured the WCC individual title, matched par with a 71 for the Waves, which left him in the group tied for 13^th.

   Roy Cootes, a senior from Rolling Hills, Calif., was the final counter for Pepperdine as his 1-over 72 left him in the group tied for 22^nd. Rounding out the Pepperdine lineup was Clay Feagler, a junior from Laguna Niguel, Calif. who was a shot behind Cootes with a 2-over 73 that left him in the group tied for 29^th.

   Joining Pepperdine’s McCarthy in the trio tied for second at 4-under 67 were TCU’s David Ravetto, a senior from France, and Arkansas’ Julian Perico, a freshman from Peru and the hero of the Razorbacks’ stunning run to the SEC title.

   In the Pullman Regional, No. 20 and fourth-seeded Texas A&M, behind individual co-leader Chandler Phillips, a senior from Huntsville, Texas and No. 10 in the WAGR, grabbed a one-shot lead over Big 12 power Oklahoma, ranked fifth and the top seed, with an 11-under 69 at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.

   Phillips scorched the 7,232-yard, par-70 Palouse Ridge layout with a 6-under 64 to share the top spot in the individual standings with Oklahoma’s Garett Reband, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, and Brigham Young’s Carson Lundell, a freshman from Alpine, Utah.

   ACC champion Georgia Tech, ranked eighth and seeded second, was a shot behind Oklahoma in third place with a 9-under 271. No. 32 BYU, the sixth seed, landed in fourth place, a shot behind Georgia Tech at 8-under 272.

   Upstart Michigan State, coming off a third-place finish in the Big Ten Championship over a tough Wissahickon Course at Philadelphia Cricket Club, was fifth at 7-under 273. The No. 53 Spartans are seeded ninth.

   Backing up Phillips for Texas A&M was Walker Lee, a sophomore from Houston who was among the group tied for ninth after he posted a 3-under 67. Sam Bennett, a freshman from Madisonville, Texas, and Brandon Smith, a junior from Frisco, Texas, gave the Aggies four rounds in the 60s as they each posted a 1-under 69 to finish among the group tied for 23^rd.

   Rounding out the Texas A&M lineup was Dan Erickson, a junior from Whittier, Calif. who carded a 1-over 71 that left him in the group tied for 51^st.

   A couple of survivors of a tough weekend at the Cricket Club, Michigan State’s Donnie Trosper, a senior from Canton, Mich., and Purdue’s Timmy Hildebrand, a senior from Westfield, Ind., were among a trio of players tied for fourth at 5-under 65. Trosper battled wind gusts up to 40 mph to record as good an even-par 70 as you can imagine in the second round of the Big Ten Championship.

   Joining Trosper and Hildebrand at 5-under was UC-Santa Barbara’s Zach Smith, a senior from Pleasanton, Calif. who was competing as an individual.

   In the Stanford Regional, the host Cardinal, ranked 12^th and seeded second, grabbed the lead with a 6-under 274 at the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif.

   Stanford was led by Isaiah Salinda, a senior from South San Francisco, Calif. and No. 29 in the WAGR who carded a 4-under 66 over his 6,727-yard, par-70 home course to join two other players tied for second, a shot behind individual leader Jake Vincent, a junior at Southern Utah from Palm Desert, Calif. who is competing as an individual.

   Stanford’s closest pursuers are a couple of double-digit seeds as No. 67 UNC-Greensboro, seeded 11^th, was in second place, a shot out of the lead after posting a 5-under 275, and No. 58 Georgia Southern, seeded 10^th, was in third place, three shots behind UNC-Greensboro at 2-under 278.

   No. 26 North Carolina, behind freshman Dougie Ergood, a product of South Jersey’s Lenape High and one of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s top junior players, was alone in fourth place at even-par 280. Ergood joined Stanford’s Salinda in the trio tied for second with a sparkling 4-under 66 for the fifth-seeded Tar Heels.

   No. 36 South Florida, the sixth seed, and No. 51 Mississippi, seeded ninth, were tied for fifth at 2-over 282, two shots behind North Carolina.

   Backing up Salinda, a U.S. Amateur semifinalist at the Pebble Beach Golf Links last summer, for Stanford was David Snyder, a junior from McAllen, Texas who was part of foursome tied for fifth at 3-under 67.

   Another Stanford veteran, Brandon Wu, a senior from Deerfield, Mass., carded a 1-under 69 to land among the group tied for ninth.

   Henry Shimp, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., and Daulet Tuleubayev, a junior from Kazakhstan, rounded out the Stanford lineup as each carded a 3-over 73 to join the group tied for 43^rd.

Joining Stanford’s Salinda and North Carolina’s Ergood in the trio tied for second at 4-under 66 was Ole Miss’ Sarut Vongchaisit, a freshman from Thailand.

   Joining Stanford’s Snyder in the quartet tied for fifth at 3-under were South Florida’s Albin Bergstrom, a freshman from Sweden, UNC-Greensboro’s Jonathan Brightwell, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., and Georgia Southern’s Jake Maples, a junior from McDonough, Ga.